This show is mainly known for having the only Caution of '71. Overall it's not a standout for the early part of the year - just yr average '71 show [April gets better]. The playing isn't the tightest, but if '71 is your jam, you will like; others should start elsewhere in the year. They were back in the Lou after just 5mos, in what is one of the world's most ornate theaters.

First Set. The set is solid enough, but short on crackling oomph, with several out of tune sections. No tour highlights, but China Cat is dynamic. The beginning of Casey Jones is cut on the SBD. Bertha is rather uptempo, though with several verse flubs. Loser is an early version, and still coming along. Rider has a cut @1:15 (the OFFicial release inserts 4/25/71 @1:15>2:20). On Playing in the Band, Bobby sings the 3rd verse twice and the band is a bit off, but it all comes together for the break on Cumberland.

Second Set. The beginning is cut on Truckin'. The OFF uses 4/14/71 for the 1st 57secs (mastered at the wrong speed). Jer just plays chords on the jam section, but I like this one. He tries starting TOO, but first the drummers want a piece. The Other One has a reel flip @7:50. The OFF has an edit @7:41, removing 36secs of the SBD. The next batch are average to below. Greatest Story was not yet fully fleshed so it's no surprise when they dump into JBG. Let's not forget the band experimented right on stage, with entailed risks. Not Fade Away is the most dynamic of the set. Goin' Down the Road has a cut @2:29. The OFF makes an edit @2:01, cutting all of the main solo, then roughly patching with 12secs from 4/12/71. It's too bad we're missing much of the set/show high point. This is the only Caution between 11/6/70>3/22/72 (though it doesn't stack against those years). The rest is GOGD.

1st Set:  C+
2nd Set: C
Overall = 2¾ stars

Highlights:
Not objectively

SOURCES: The 130560_MrBill sounds the same as yerys_1663 but trims the tunings. Your choice. The SBDs have several slow speed wobbles, more noticeable in some places (e. g. in Wharf and China Cat). The OFF ameliorates some of the wobbles (others can still be heard, such as the solo in Loser) but introduces other pitch errors, needing -1% pitch correction on average. The beginning patch of Truckin' needs +2% and the channels are switched on all but Sugar Mag (plus some re-balancing and EQ really helps). On the SBD, Loser and I Know You Rider need -1% pitch correction. China Cat needs -2% at the beginning, then slows to needing -1%. After the cut it needs +1% and then 0%. On the second set, Wharf, Sugar Mag, NFA & UJB need -1%. Goin' Down the Road needs -2% and then -1% after the cut. Also, the channels are switched from Casey Jones>Cumberland, plus Sugar Mag. 30 Trips has much of the show, except edited versions of Rider, Truckin', TOO, & GDtRFB. Definitive Live Story has Ain't It Crazy.

3/17/71   Two songs from the night before were posted by Lemieux (which run fast, needing -1%). He has never given a setlist but did say the tape has cuts during Hard to Handle and The Other One suite. They may be just reel flips, or this show may have been cut up during production of Skull Fuck. We don't know more than those two titles and the two posted (Me & Bobby McGee/Next Time You See Me; 4 stars), both better than what we find on the 18th. Tantalizing! (C'mon Dave! But thanx!).

I just listened to this for the first time today and I will agree with several other reviewers here in that this is a pretty sloppy show. There is a huge section in the middle where someone is very out of tune and lots of missed lyrical cues throughout. Jerry's lyric delivery and timing on "Wharf Rat" is all over the place. All in all it really feels like the band is off kilter most of this show. Things finally settle in from "NFA" to the end of the show, with "Caution" clearly the highlight.

That said it's still an enjoyable listen and the highlights are very good. Just not sure if it's one I would seek out for another listen.

Interesting to hear Pigpen playing on 'Wharf Rat', he usually seemed to sit this one out. As he's a bit all over the place here, not settling into the song, perhaps that's why he didn't normally play on it.

1st the sound you hear are 'soundbord' then mixed to tape ie not the house PA mix. as such the taper needed to constantly wear headphones and monitor the mix to re-compensate for any stage level changes that then went to the board and were/ or not 'leveled'. so if 'Betty' was busy with other responsibilities she could miss that her vocal inputs are too loud etc plus pigpen is consistently very low in the mix on the mixed to tape 2 track tapes. ON many tapes you can barely hear him on Truckin, loser, NFA, the few rare minglewoods etc.

regarding the Fox theatre st Louis the DEAD were scheduled to play there in the summer of 86 but the shows were canceled due to Jerry's coma. Im a fan of old movie palaces/vaudeville theatres and was waiting for those shows having seen them at the Atlanta Fox

For March '71 this is a pretty deep show. Caution is
the highlight.

In general, I can't love the sound of this. I've been listening to audience tapes pretty much nonstop for about a month, and they have a warmth soundboards usually don't without some serious remastering. In addition, the vocals are usually way high in the soundboard mix, and the Dead's instrument sounds are often much prettier than their vocal ones. Also, I think that '71 & '72 were the years of crisp cleanness over warmth & depth, & they didn't get their post-'70 sound right for me until '73.

All that being said, this is still a very good show, but fraught with tentative amateurishness. Jerry's playing an experimental guitar, and everything from the beginning of Truckin' to the beginning of Other One is played totally out of tune on his part. Most of the new songs, though, are played extremely well for being so undeveloped. The second part of the Other One is weird, spooky and sublime, the turn-on-a-dime transition between Greatest Story and Johnny B. Goode is breathtaking, there's a killer NFA (let down somewhat by a horribly cut GDTRFB), and a very unusually rapped and expertly played Caution. All in all not the sweetest show I've heard, but with grand highlights.

What other band could be simultaneously so laid-back and so tight as the Dead in this first set? This is not the kind of show you introduce newbies to; it's just too elusive for those that don't know how to 'read it' the way the band wants to show you. I absolutely love the half-tempo Bobby McGee's first half.

Second set they loosen up and let the beast out of the cage; take your pick as to which one comes off best; I'm kind of partial to the GSET > JBG and, you betcha, that Wharf Rat - the on-a-dime transition from the Other One could only be done in the single-drummer era, and listen to how long they jam out the final segment.

'71 is certainly one of the most curious years in the Dead catalogue; I myself find shows like this totally irresistible; there *are* some unfortunate cuts in the board (CC>R, Other One, GDTRFB) and the vocals are a bit too high in the mix, but me? I don't care, yo -

I went to this show with some people I barely knew. I had listened to the Dead on vinyl but had no idea what the concert would be like - the Fox theater with its over-the-top velvet and gold decor, mescaline, NRPS and hours of Dead music. I spent the night moving from place to place including up on stage. Miraculously found the people I came with for the 100 mile ride home. The thing I remember the most was a percussion solo that seemed to last for hours and Bobby's beautiful long hair. I went back to the Fox every time the Dead played there but this concert will always stick with me as a magical night.

This is your typical high energy 1971 show (which is to say great) until Bobby kicks it into overdrive. Starting with a spectacular, nicely jammed Other One this performance morphs into something really special. The Wharf Rat that follows is among my favourites. Then Bobby really launches off with a run that culminates in an incredible NFA > GDTRFB. If that wasn't enough, a really special Caution follows.
An above average 71 show with great sound!

I attended the shows in St. Louis and they played the Fox 4 times in 1971--twice in March (the 17th and 18th) and December (9th and 10th). All but the 17th are on LAMA and I don't recall enough about the March shows to detail the 17th. I can attest that there was a show on the 17th however.

I remember hearing Bertha for the first time at the March shows and Jerry playing pedal steel with the NRPS.

They had played the Fox in Feb 1970 right after the infamous New Orleans bust and reportedly fell in love with the theater--a beautiful, trippy Art Deco place built in the 1920s and good sound to boot. The played there again in 1972 and 1973--great shows all.

Excellent show. Good sound for such an old recording. I give it five stars but I'm biased. I just love this era of shows.

Sleeper!!!!

Also, if someone has a copy of this show İ would love you forever...

wow
only caution all year, not until europe do they play it again, important material

That statement above is wrong. The show after NO was in 1970...

I was at ALL of the Fox shows...

Feb 1970 and they were on fire! There are bits on here. Listen to ST Stephen into Mason's Children....

It will lift the hair on the back of your NECK!

I was a 17 year old newbee to the Dead in '71 and had no clue what I had in store that night. I think I paid $3.50 for my ticket which got me a general admission ticket to the Fabulous Fox. Spent the evening in the orchestra pit leaning on the stage less than 10 feet away from the band
and was totally blown away be them. The electricity that they had that night could never be matched (in my opinion) to any show I saw or heard after that. I was hooked on them to this day (I'm 53). An amazing show that brings back a lot of memories. This show has a personal negative for me in that it was sooo good, I held this as the standard for every concert I saw after this date (Dead or other) and was disappointed time and time again.

What a great show!!! It was my first, of sooooo many fantastic shows. The best indoor venue on earth, no shit. The band was just released from jail in New Orleans and were they ever ready to rock. The concert was part of St. Louis University Homecoming '71. The concert was sponsored by the Epsilon Alpha chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity at SLU. Oh what a show it was!

A real gem of a show. Great setlist and jerrys vocals are amazing.

Music Archive states:

This is another fairly new show to circulate in the trading world. The whole show (the full show dos not circulate as far as I know)is well-played-- but what stands out is an incredible version of "Caution" that is literally spawned from a forceful "Not Fade Away." Keep your eyes out for this one!

(cuts in) Truckin'-> Drums-> The Other One-> Wharf Rat, Sugar Magnolia, Greatest Story Ever Told-> Johnny B. Goode, Not Fade Away-> Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)-> Feedback, Uncle John's Band

Classic spring 71 show. Great playing, good mix, quality sound. Can't go wrong imo. Only caution in 1971 I think. This is a keeper.

4.5 all around

Great sound, excellent vocals and an overall pleasing mix.
Solid show through and through.

Can someone help me out with the history on this one? According to Deadbase X, the set list for 3-18-71 is as follows: Truckin>Drums>Other One>Jam>Caution>Feedback. I tried to cross reference it with the taping compendium, but it dosen't even list this show. What's going on here? Help! Other than that, this show (whenever it was) sounds like a typical early 70's show. Good old fashioned straight up rock n roll!! And after listening to a lot of psycedelic Dead lately, it's refreshing to listen to this era again. Roots and all that, you know? Anyway, excellent quality and definately worth downloading and repeated listening.

Throughout, Jerry slices and cracks the air just on the outer edge all night long. Bertha, Bobby McGee stand out with riviting riffs. The Boys were hot that night (an understatement). Smooth as glass, a superb snapshot in time reflecting the best of the best!!!

damnit damnit damnit---hiss hiss too but dr.'s orders are right once again...this shit kicks ass! I believe for my money 69 and 71 are the greatest years { i like pig on the harp , vocals and organ to round out the pyscho jamming sometimes} and this show is interesting very interesting rock on rockers of dead !!

All right, I used not to be a fan of 1971. I had mostly heard 23rd generation tapes of shows with lots of flaws. And then GD Live started putting up great SHN board shows, and my opinion changed!! Those looking for long intense psychedelic jams such as 1969 or the deep spaces of a 72-73 Dark Star will not find such in 1971. But hey, you gotta dance sometime! Although 1971 shows have some garage band moments, the point here is that the band achieved a new level of hard jamming on rockers like HT Handle, RR Blues, Good Lovin and NFA that they in some ways, never quite recreated. Listen to the April NYC shows, or the Capitol shows prior to this and you'll see what I mean. The great versions of Cumberland and China>Rider are highlights for me. And the Other One is one of the best I've heard for 1971. A satisfying mind jam, and for those who may think Pigpen can't play - listen to this! His organ is loud and creative in the mix. There is a small cut in the middle that sounds like a tape flip, probably less than a minute is lost. The following Wharf Rat is nice in that we get Pig's organ backing up Jerry. A bit of a rarity heard only in early 71 and Europe 72, until Brent comes along in the 80's.
Then they really outdo themselves and deliver a blazing NFA>GDTRFB into Caution jam. And a fine UJ Band for dessert! A great show and for many, perhaps an undiscovered one? Add this to your 1971 collection!
Dr. Flashback ;-)
PS - a note to hiss watchers. If you listen to many of these early shows in STREAMING audio, they will sound hissier than they really are. I'm listening to my SHN version right now, and for a 34 year-old analog tape, it sounds great!

Download this show for your collection! The best parts of it will fit on two 80 minute CDrs.

Only a few opening notes of "Casey Jones" were clipped and the vocals remain. The first verse of "Truckin" is missing and the sound wasn't as good as the rest of the show. Download for completists.

All of "The Other One" - "Uncle John's Band" can fit on a single 80 minute CD. The band breaks only once and we get two classic jams...

check out swing autotorium 1977 san bernardino

This was a great show. I remember this very well due to all the unexpected (by me) songs.
NRPS opened, and it would be great to hear a replay of their portion of the show, with Jerry on pedal steel. Highlights of their set for me were Henry, Dirty Business and the Weight with some incredible Garcia pedal steel solos.
The Dead played two sets of about 2 hours each. There are some songs missing from the first set which ended w a great China Cat / Rider. I especially remember Tennessee Jed. I'm sure it was played as I remember the crowd singing the chorus starting on the 2nd time around. Cumberland Blues started the 2nd set which dragged a bit in the middle, but has some great songs too.
I only saw them twice after this, and they never came close to this. Great music in a great time and place.

Any show with a Caution deserves at least 4 stars. The Other One>Wharf Rat is VERY good for the era. The Caution (the highlight for me)features Pigpen's skills at vocal improv. I find this version contains more interesting vocal than crazy jamming, which you may be used to in a Caution. They slip into it rather uniquely, out of GDTRFB (only time they did this, most likely). Jerry's guitar a little low in the mix on the fanning at the end, but still a show to have. The Fox is a great venue, by the way. Sound quality is quite good.

An outstanding show, a rival to the best Fillmore East show of 1971. Pig-pen seemed especially on, singing rarities like The Rub and Caution. Jerry sings an excellent Wharf Rat among others. Sound quality is very clean.